New York! New York! There's really too much to cheer about theEmpire State to fit into a few words.
Let's start with 'NYC: Your Ticket to Summer,' which runs throughAugust and offers savings at more than 40 hotels, shopping discounts,lunch deals, one-hour cultural tours through the five boroughs, andlots of other events. On July 4, OpSail 2000 will see the largestparade of tall ships in the city's harbor. Macy's is promising thelargest fireworks display ever for Independence Day, and duringMilitary Salute Week (July 3-9), hundreds of military vessels fromaround the world will be in port, and there will be military flyoversand free concerts.
From June 19-23, many of the city's top restaurants will beoffering a three-course prix-fixe lunch for $20 (beverage, tax, andgratuity extra). Many of these restaurants will offer the $20 mealsthroughout the summer. On Restaurant Day, Friday (rain date June 19),many restaurants will offer tasting portions for $3 to $5, of which$1 goes to charities, on sidewalks outside their entrances.
Broadway and Off-Broadway will be sizzling this summer as wellwith a stellar lineup that ranges from musicals with today's topyoung stars to great revivals of old favorites.
And if you're looking for late-night fun, Zagat has just producedits first 'Survey of New York City Nightlife' covering more than1,000 bars, cafes, clubs, and lounges. 'This is definitely not yourparents' going-out guide,' say co-publishers Tim and Nina Zagat (91percent of participants in the survey were in their 30s or younger).However, in addition to dives, pickup joints, and cyber scenes, thereare top choices for dancing and champagne, piano bars, andrecommendations for the mature set.
Helping to ease a visit is the recent elimination of the city's8.25 percent sales tax on all clothing and footwear under $110.
For complete information, call 800-NYC-VISIT, click onwww.nycvisit.com, or drop by the Official Visitor Information Center,810 Seventh Ave. and 53rd Street. Special deals will be available toAmerican Express cardholders.
Saratoga Springs not only has the nation's oldest and mosthistoric race track but now it's also one of the best. SportsIllustrated named Saratoga Race Course one of the top 10 venues ofsports, ahead of such institutions as Pebble Beach and the Rose Bowl.Racing returns July 26 for a 36-day run. One of the fun things to dothere is to arrive at sunrise for breakfast (7-9:30 a.m.) and take afree tram tour of the barn area. Besides racing there are lots offestivals. For information, call 718-641-4700 or, during race season,518-584-6200.
One of the state's most popular tourist destinations is theCorning Glass Center in Corning, which has just undergone a $60million renovation and expansion to feature '35 Centuries ofGlassmaking' within five new art and history galleries. Corning'smuseum houses the world's premier glass collection. The museum isopen daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (July through Labor Day to 8 p.m.).
With national parks ranking as some of the country's biggestattractions, consider instead heading to the Adirondack State Park innorthern New York, the largest protected back-country resource eastof the Mississippi. It has 3,000 ponds and lakes, 2,000 miles ofhiking trails, 100 campgrounds, and more four-star resorts than anyother destination in the state.
And, certainly with Red Sox fever growing this year, a pilgrimageto Cooperstown to pay homage to the game and its heroes at theNational Baseball Hall of Fame is in order. But before you go, checkout all that Cooperstown has to offer beyond baseball. It's a town ofart, history (read about its early days in James Fenimore Cooper's'Leatherstocking Tales'), architecture, and natural beauty, alongwith some other wonderful attractions - the Fenimore Art Museum andthe Farmers' Museum.
New York is a lot closer than most New Englanders believe. FromBoston your adventures begin just about two hours west on the Mass.Pike. For more ideas on what to see and do, as well as information onthe destinations mentioned, call 800-CALL NYS for a free travel guideor visit www.iloveny.state.ny.us.
NYC hotels
New York City hotels don't have to be expensive. For example, forJuly 5-Aug. 31, the Washington Jefferson Hotel has rates of $127 anight for a room with private bath; $84 a night for one with a sharedbath. The 260-room hotel at 318 West 51st St. is convenient to TimesSquare. For information, call 888-567-7550 or visitwww.washingtonjeff.citysearch.com.
Another way to save is to stay outside the city. The firstMainStay Suites hotel in the New York metropolitan area has opened inSecaucus, N.J., just five miles from the city. A bus to and from thecity stops at the hotel. Suite rates begin at $89.95 and include manyextras. The hotel is near the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Forinformation, call 800-660-MAIN or visit www.mainstaysuites.com.
For budget travelers, there are eight YMCAs in the New York Cityarea with rooms well under $100 a night, sometimes much less. Severalhave reasonably priced cafes on premises, all have a wide range offitness options at no extra cost, and most feature shared baths.Among Y's are the West Side near the Lincoln Center (212-875-4273)and the Vanderbilt near the United Nations (212-756-9600 with roomswith private baths and TVs at $135 a night. For more information,visit www.ymcanyc.org.
Broadway's Ramada Milford Plaza has rates beginning at $164 for adouble. The hotel, right in the theater district, also offers afitness center, family entertainment center, an international phoneroom, an ATM, and an automatic currency exchange machine. Forinformation, call 800-221-2690.
And, hotels can offer some interesting packages:
The Doral Park Avenue Hotel offers the city's only golf package.One allows women to tee off complete with a private lesson at TheGolf Club at Chelsea Piers - a very technically advanced facility.The package - $345 weekdays, $305 weekends - includes a room, clubrentals, books on golf and another on 'Breaking the Glass Ceiling.'For information, call 877-99-DORAL or visit www.doralparkavenue.com.
The Grand Hyatt New York has a Shop 'Til you Drop weekend packageat $179 that includes a room, $25 credit at one of the hotel's threerestaurants, and a 15 percent discount at Bloomingdale's. The 34-story, 1,347-room hotel is located midtown Park Avenue at GrandCentral. For information, call 800-233-1234.
The Four Seasons Hotel New York is offering visitors the chance toexperience the city like a native. The guided program takes out-of-towners behind the scenes and shows them a slice of the city - fromfashions and antiques to cooking - that only an insider would beprivy to. The insiders' three-day package begins at $10,000 for twoand includes accommodations for four nights, breakfasts, a cookingclass, dinner, and lunches. The program is offered Sept. 6-10 andNov. 15-19. Call 212-758-5700.
Irish heritage
There's still time to catch the Stonehill Irish Festival atStonehill College in North Easton. The festival closes at 9 p.m. And,if you don't want to miss other Irish happenings, call the BostonIrish Tourism Association for a free calendar brochure or visitwww.irishmassachusetts.com. With more than 26 percent ofMassachusetts residents claiming Irish ancestry, a new effort isbeing made to promote the state's Irish culture, literary activities,festivals, sports, and businesses.
NYC ideas
Manhattan Today, a discount publication for New York City,provides 100 plus coupons good for dining, entertainment, shopping,and services. One of its more attractive discounts is an $88 round-trip air fare on US Airways Shuttle between Boston and New York (alsoa $118 roundtrip fare to Washington) and $2 off SuperShuttle airportvan service. For information, write to Manhattan Today, 1 Grove St.,Watertown, MA 02472; telephone 800-685-6760. The summer issue ($10)is good to Oct. 15. An annual subscription (two issues) is $15.
Continental Guest Services provides a one-call source for bookinghotel rooms, sightseeing, tours, restaurants, and theater tickets.The company says its services are available in all price ranges, andit needs as little as 24 hours notice for requests. For information,call 800-299-8587 or visit www.intercharge.com.
Contact the Big Apple Greeters (212-669-8159 orwww.bigapplegreeter.org), a free, one-on-one welcome service staffedby volunteers who love to help visitors see the city's neighborhoods.Or, Signature Tours (212-517-4306) provides tours tailored to yourspecial interests, as does New York Your Way (212-502-8541 orwww.nyyourway.com).
